


Broken and Bruised (But At Least I Have You)

by taikas



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:27:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28027008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taikas/pseuds/taikas
Summary: “It’s all I have, but…”The little boy held a lightly scratched cherry blossom pin, a pack of already opened gum, and a single 100 yen coin out in the palms of his hands.“I don’t want Daddy to hit me anymore.”OrWhere a little boy by the name of Sakuya Sakuma asks Chikage Utsuki, one of the most famed spies in Japan, to "kidnap" him from his abusive father.
Relationships: Arisugawa Homare/Mikage Hisoka, Chigasaki Itaru/Utsuki Chikage, Takatoo Tasuku/Tsukioka Tsumugi
Comments: 5
Kudos: 95





	Broken and Bruised (But At Least I Have You)

Chikage enjoyed his solitude. 

It was precisely why even when storm clouds loomed ominously in the distance, he still found himself walking along the shores of the ocean, kicking the sand slightly with each careful calculated step he took. 

The place was entirely deserted because no normal person would be out and about on such an isolated part of the beach at night, especially not when the weather was about to get unpleasant. Nonetheless, Chikage couldn't help throwing a glance over his shoulder every few minutes.

 _Funny_ , Chikage thought to himself.

_Even when I'm on vacation I can't help acting like I'm still at work._

He continued meandering about the shoreline, and considered turning around and heading back to his car before the inevitable downpour of rain began.

That is, until he noticed a spot of red in the distance. It stood out against the pale light the moon bathed the beach in, a bright shock compared to the dull muted colors around it. Even more curiously, it appeared to be getting closer.

And closer.

And _oh_.

It was a child.

Chikage adjusted his glasses, thinking he must have been seeing things, but no. That definitely was a child, running towards him at a speed which seemed unnaturally rushed. In fact, they didn't even appear to see Chikage, eyes gazing hollowly to some point in the distance beyond where the man stood. Immediately, Chikage's natural instincts kicked in, and he reached towards his pocket to grab the switchblade he always kept on hand in case of emergencies. Not even a child could be free from suspicion, not in Chikage's line of work. Anything could be a trap.

Unfortunately, his momentary distraction resulted in him taking his eyes away from the scene for just long enough that the child rammed right into his leg, falling backwards with a quiet _oomph_!

Once the child realized what had happened, their eyes widened with shock and fear. They immediately scrambled to their feet before bowing over and over again in front of Chikage, much to his own surprise.

"S-Sorry, m-mister, I wasn't looking where I was going so I didn't see you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

It was then that Chikage realized that the child was a boy. And a _young_ boy at that—he couldn't have possibly been any older than five or six years old.

Now, the man was certainly no expert with kids, but even he knew that the beach was no place for a child that young to be wandering around by themselves at all, much less in the dead of the night. Inwardly sighing, he knew he had to figure out what was going on, lest he fall for a possible trap. Something about the situation just didn't seem right.

"It's fine, kid. Just stop apologizing."

Discreetly, Chikage tucked his switchblade back into his pocket before the boy could see it, but the moment Chikage shifted his hand the child covered his face and violently flinched back, nearly falling onto his butt again.

 _Ah,_ _fuck,_ Chikage thought. _I really am terrible with kids._ The man then kneeled down to get on eye level with the child.

"Kid, look, I'm not going to hurt you," Chikage held his hands out placatingly, showing the boy that there was nothing in them. 

Nonetheless, the child continued to visibly shake like a leaf, eyes squeezed tightly shut. "I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he mumbled.

Now that Chikage was kneeling down, he was able to get a closer look at the child and come to yet another realization. The boy was injured. Not just a little scrape on his knees, no—he had large bruises and scratches covering nearly every area of skin that was exposed to the cool night air. While the child looked worse for wear overall, nothing was more horrifying to Chikage than seeing the bruise that wringed around the boy's neck in the shape of large fingerprints. Someone had tried to _choke_ a _child_.

Thanks to his job, Chikage was no stranger to seeing injuries like that. But even the bloodiest fights he's been in somehow felt like they were nothing compared to having to see those finger shaped bruises around the little boy's neck. It made him feel sick to his stomach.

Something had to be done.

"Kid. Stop. Just stop talking, and open your eyes for me, okay?" 

A few beats of silence passed, before the boy opened his wide, distrustful eyes slowly to stare into Chikage's. 

"I'm going to ask you a few questions now, can you answer them for me?"

"I-"

A clap of thunder interrupted the boy's response, and once more, the child's flinch didn't go unnoticed by Chikage. 

"I think the storm is starting. We need to get you back home-"

"NO!"

Chikage's eyes widened ever so slightly, surprised at the child's sudden outburst.

"Please, anywhere but there," The boy lunged forward to grab onto Chikage's leg. "I can't go back."

The uncomfortable feeling creeping up inside of Chikage's chest had grew tenfold with that statement. "Why not?"

The child blatantly ignored the man's question, only gripping tighter onto his leg. "Please mister, just take me away!"

"Take you away?" Chikage couldn't believe what was coming out of the boy's mouth. "...Are you basically asking me to kidnap you, kid? Are you crazy?"

"Kidnap? That's, ah...that's a big word," The boy's face scrunched ~~rather adorably~~. "I don't know what that means, mister, but...I really can't go home."

Chikage pinched the bridge of his nose before looking up at the dark looming clouds above the beach again. He _really_ had to resolve this unbelievable situation before the storm began.

With a sigh, he looked down at the boy, who stared up at him earnestly. Despite Chikage's initial suspicions of the boy being something like a distraction for an elaborately schemed trap, when he looked into those wide eyes he could almost _feel_ how genuine the child was. All traces of fear from before in the his eyes were completely gone now, replaced with a look of pure determination. It was actually kind of inspiring to see such a skinny and beaten down kid even manage a look that strong. Still, Chikage had to be realistic, even if he somehow felt his hardened heart soften ever so slightly when he looked into the child's wide, shining eyes. 

"Look, kid, I can't just-"

"I'll...I'll even pay you!" The boy shouted.

Taken aback, Chikage could only stare in shock as the child let go of his leg and began to dig through his threadbare jacket desperately. A few moments later, the boy's face lit up with joy upon apparently discovering something of value within his pockets.

“It’s all I have, but…”

The little boy held a lightly scratched cherry blossom pin, a pack of already opened gum, and a single 100 yen coin out in the palms of his hands. 

“I don’t want Daddy to hit me anymore.”

And with that, Chikage Utsuki's world flipped upside down.

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to try this new AU, at the request of a friend. We'll see how it goes, I have some plot points planned out. The characters might be OOC, but they had to be for the sake of the story. I hope you enjoy regardless.


End file.
